Of Light and Shadows
by Saturdaychick
Summary: In the previous story, Christine, almost forgetting her lesson with her Angel of Music to dine with Raoul is reminded of it by Madame Giry which leads her to realize her true feelings for her tutor and ends with the dressing room mirror opening and her accepting the hand that is offered from the shadows.


**Of Light and Shadows**

As her Angel deftly led her from the dressing room, Christine glanced back and saw that the mirror had somehow gone back to its rightful place of reflecting that room with no hint to any observer that it was, in reality, a doorway to a secret world.

"Watch your step, my dear," her Angel's beautiful voice brought her back to her senses and she stepped more carefully, noticing now that he had lifted a lantern from the wall and small pools of light lit their way as they proceeded to… where, she wasn't quite sure, but it seemed they were going down, down and far deeper into the bowels of the Opera House than she had ever been. Her heart gave a little leap at the realization that no one knew where she was. Nor, she was quite certain, as she followed a man she had never seen before but knew intimately, could anyone ever find her, should she need finding.

The hand grasping hers was cold and very strong. The feel of it gave her a little thrill. So different from the warm, pampered hands of Raoul, she thought, a bit unkindly. Then she remembered that he was still waiting to take her to dinner or was perhaps now angry at her for keeping him waiting. Maybe he'd given up and gone home. She hoped so. The other alternative was that he was searching for her, and, at the moment, she did not want to be found.

Her mind seemed to wander towards these thoughts as her Angel led her intently and silently through the darkness. They came to an abrupt stop and she bumped into him in the dark. "Sorry" she whispered. He squeezed her hand and released it and placed the lantern on a hook on the wall.

"We are almost there, my Angel." He spoke quietly, comfortingly, almost, and she had felt this at times during their lessons, almost mesmerizingly. Then she saw, before them, a vast lake. A lake! Here, underground! Under the very Opera House she had played in, rehearsed in, and fallen in love in. In love with that voice. And, hopefully, with its' possessor as well. Her hand still retained the feel of his.

A mist rose from its surface and it was oddly illuminated as if by footlights. She saw now a black, elegant small boat rested on its shore and her Angel turned to her. "Please, allow me to assist you. We need to travel by water for a bit. I hope you are an accomplished swimmer… should we run into any interference."

"What! No…I'm really not…" then she realized he was actually teasing her. "Oh. You aren't being serious…"

He laughed, and what a sound, it was a laugh like music and thunder tied up together. "I would never let anything happen to you, Christine. I would brave the forces of hell to rescue you should you need it. The forces of heaven, if it came to that," and, saying that, in a motion so fluid it seemed almost magical, he had reached for her, swept her off her feet, into his arms, where he held her briefly, and for the first time, as he held her, she noticed, in the dim light from the lantern, that he was stunningly handsome, at least one side of his face seemed to be, while the other, the other side was covered by a white mask that seemed to glow in the darkness, and he set her down gently upon velvet cushions in the prow of the black lacquered boat.

Entering the boat he bowed to her, doffing the fedora he had been wearing, and tossing it onto the seat beside her, where her hand, with a mind of its own, gently caressed it. He reached out and brought from the darkness a long pole, and he proceeded to use this to propel them across the lake and as they moved through the shadows she saw up ahead, light, and as they neared the shore, saw that the light was cast from dozens of huge candelabra from which shone a hundred or more candles. She gasped at the beauty and mystery of it all. And the fact that she, the daughter of a highly regarded yet poor violinist, should be experiencing this wonderment, was almost too much to conceive of and she let her thoughts fly away and just looked and looked.  
The man gracefully leapt from the boat and pulled it forward onto the shore where he secured it and then, turning again towards her, reached out his hand and hers, leaving the soft wool of the fedora that she had absent- mindedly been holding, took his and let him lead her from the boat to the shore and she saw a flag stoned path that led to what seemed to be a house. A sort of house, anyway, hidden away in these depths. Her Angel was a man of many secrets, she smiled to herself, and once again, allowed him to lead her forward, to where she knew not what awaited her, but somehow, found she was not the timid shy girl she had been perhaps only hours ago, but a brave young woman ready for adventure and who knew what else that might lie in store for her, here, in the Kingdom of the Angel of Music.


End file.
